Athletic endorsement in the Olympics

“No competitor who participates in the Olympic Games may allow his person, name, picture or sports performance to be used for advertising purposes during the Olympic Games". 

This quote comes direct from the Olympic Charter of 2007, Rule 45. It clearly states how sportsmen competing within the Olympic cannot be used at the same time in company advertising.

Many may have seen numerous televised adverts using athletes within them for promotional purposes. The Visa Advert with different athletes training and using their Visa card to save time. As well as the current Virgin Media advert with Usain Bolt imitating Richard Branson.

Now what many will read this charter as saying that the use of Olympic competitors within advertising must end on the day of the official opening Olympic ceremony. Therefore no advertising will be occurring as quote “during the Olympic Games”. It will be interesting to see if come July 5^th this is the case and many of these adverts who had cashed in on known sporting stars will have been changed to comply with charter rules.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpNtntHVrkc

“During the Olympic Games, virtually all the athletes carry a huge number of advertisements on their clothes. Numerous outfit companies such as Nike, Adidas or Oakley provide sportsmen with new equipment and clothes designed to facilitate movement and improve performance and at the same time advertise their new products to millions of viewers. Athletes can have various kinds of deals, while some are paid for appearance in a definite outfit, others just get them at no cost. Generally, skis, snowboards, skates and other equipment needed for Olympic games is considerably expensive, and the only opportunity for many athletes is to get sponsored by a sports-outfit company to cover the cost of their equipment. The companies greatly benefit from such deals since by this way their equipment is advertised by the world's most famous sportsmen. Often the companies modify the models of their outfit used by sportsmen to decrease their price and adapt them to the condition of consumers."

This quote found on the website for The Sports Journal, further supports our investigation within our feature article.

Top international companies are figuratively bribing athletes with free merchandise as a way of advertising. It is appreciated that clothing and equipment within certain sports can be very expensive. However, these companies are cashing in on an athletes talent and vulnerability and passion for hat specific sport. It leaves the athlete with no choice, either take the free merchandise or you cant afford to compete.

It seems a shame, but the Olympic Games just feels like one massive promotional stunt by multi national corporations. You don’t really see many small unknown sponsors at the games as the contracts are too expensive. So all you see when watching any event is a stadium bill boarded with four or five big well known companies constantly prying for your custom.

If the Olympic Charter states that:

“No competitor can be used for advertising purposes during the Olympic Games”, 

then why can they be seen competing with obvious branding on their shorts, tops and equipment? Surely that is advertising during the games?

It can be appreciated that without these massive sponsorship deals the Olympic Games would never be able to afford itself, which would obviously be a shame as they are a uniting presence for the whole world to share in. However, more must be done to stop letting the elitist companies be the majority sponsors within the games. 

Main feature: Sponsor deals and your career

This is a feature piece about the sportswear company Adidas and their relationship with individual athletes and sponsorship deals they have with them. Within this feature are quotes from a separate interview with Ann*, a national athlete who is competing in this years London 2012 Olympic Games for Team GB.

On speaking with the Press Team of Adidas Corporation they believed this interview “expresses the good nature of our company and how we respect our clients. Our sponsorship deals are freely available if the public request, like most companies we have an exclusivity term within our contract. However we do not feel this deters clients from their role within the sporting field they represent, we are merely assisting and aiding their profile.”

Sponsor deals and your career

Adidas are a worldwide known brand, with over 10 billion dollars in assets and 40,000 global employees. They are pioneers within the sporting industry and were recent sponsors for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

What strikes a cord within in the UK is their commitment to rising athletes, they fund and sponsor young runners, gymnasts, swimmers and many more in this country. Without the likes of these sponsors many amazing and talented sports stars would never of been found.

However, is being sponsored by a worldwide company really all it seems? Perks of the job also come with restrictions and limitations, many of which could ruin the dreams and aspirations these athletes once wished for.

I managed to get an exclusive interview with *Ann, a young up and coming athlete breaking into the world of professional sports people. She is part of the GB Team for this years London 2012 Olympic Games. But as she reveals, wanting those big sponsorship deals, come with a heavy price and an even heavier fall if things don’t go the way your sponsor wants it to.

Ann started off in her sport at a young age, like many athletes she was focused and knew one day she wanted to be a professional, getting paid to do the one thing she loved in front of thousands of people supporting her. “Adidas have sponsored me for a while now, they turned me into the professional athlete I am today, without them I would still be at my local running club.”

In a way, many would think she is one of the fortunate ones, got a big secure sponsor who can provide for her so she can focus on the sport rather than finding enough money to live. In this case, yes Ann is the lucky one; she tells us of a running partner she knew who has had her dreams shattered by not abiding by the terms of her contract. “It was horrible, the company called her in a sued her for thousands, they didn’t drop her as they cant, but the price was so extortionate she could afford to keep running professionally without another income. So she gave it all up, she is still paying back what she owes them to this day.”

On speaking with her it is obvious this story has haunted Ann, many sportsmen are tied into exclusivity deals with big fines potentially able to destroy a future successful career within your sport. “These deals do have their set backs, you have to be careful what you wear, where you eat, what you are seen doing, you are basically a walking billboard for that brand. But they pay your wages, you can’t blame them, you just need to be careful.” Ann reveals her contract is similar to this exclusivity deal, “I do adverts and campaigns for them on a regular basis which gets in the way of training quite a lot. But its mainly just the clothing deal, I have to wear at least one clearly branded item of there’s every day. It is a right pain especially when I’m having my relax days, but I just keep reminding myself who pays my wages.”

Adidas is a company that prides it self on being part of the Olympics and this year they have teamed up with fashion designer Stella McCartney in producing a new clothing range for Team GB. Nick Craggs, Adidas Marketing Director, said how Adidas are “bringing together the best British Athletes performing at the Olympic and Paralympic Games and combining that with the best British designer.”

With this recent news Adidas stock shares have increased along with sales for the company. With so many adverts all showing Adidas as the brand to wear, is it any wonder sales have increased? Ann has to always display the Adidas brand when she is competing or training, this just reiterates to spectators that this is a supreme brand even if that may not be the case. “If people recognise me and ask for advise on what running shoes they should start off with, or if I can recommend a comfortable sports bra, I have to say Adidas. Even if I don’t agree, I hate that, I don’t like lying to people but I have no choice. Usually its true, I could recommend some of their kit as exceptional, but honestly, everything in life has flaws and even some Adidas stuff isn’t the best.”

Adidas is one of the few decent companies, many have been known for being much tougher on who they sponsor and the rules and restrictions within that deal. However that is not to say they do not act differently with other clients they sponsor. For best advice when signing any contract deal with any company is to read all small print detail, get a trusted family member to speak through any issues you may feel you have and entrust a lawyer so you have piece of mind that you wont end up like Ann’s friend if it all goes wrong.

For the full interview with Ann please see the “An interview with an Athlete” blog post further down the page. Please note the names have been changed for the confidentiality and anonymity of the interviewee. 

Adidas investigation: How do they treat their athletes?

This interview I got with an athlete who is in the line up for the London 2012 Olympic games. I rang her up and this is the original transcript of the telephone interview we had. Due to the nature of certain material she disclosed to me I have decided to omit her real name and provide a pseudonym within the interview. However, all words expressed here are true and have not been edited for the nature of the research.

An interview with an athlete.

Please note, a pseudonym name has been used to protect the confidentiality of the interviewee.

So Ann, how are you, how have you been keeping in the run up to the Olympics? It’s not long to go now do you feel prepared for it all?

Heya, yeah I'm really good ta, I feel as ready as I will ever be, I have been out training everyday and am really focused. It has come up really soon I cant believe it, but my body is in shape and I have had no injuries so feel strong and prepared to go out there and run my best.

That’s good to hear, the country is behind you and supporting your every step.

That means a lot; I don’t what I would do without the help and support of all my friends and family. My team is great as well; we help each other through everything. You kind of have to get on as you basically are with each other all the time. They become like a second family to you and you talk with everyone about any thing that is ever on your mind, you have a bond and a trust with each individual.

How do you fit it all in, as I know you have to do promotional campaigns for your sponsor ‘Adidas’ as well?

Yeah it is a lot. I do photo shoots or ad campaigns with them all the time. But its mainly just being recorded when running which is what I love to do so doesn’t bother me too much. Spend all day running in time with a metronome sound so they can splice one seconds worth of material of your shoe or something into an advert. But its fun and without them I wouldn’t be where I am today so in a way, its part of my job.

Are you thankful to have a sponsor? I know for some people it takes years to get even a minor one and you landed quite quickly with a major contract?

Oh my without having a sponsor I would still be running round my town on the odd day and at my running club some evenings. They have been sponsoring me for some time now and its because of them I am where I am today, they turned me into a professional athlete. I feel sorry for some people who have to pull out of their dream due to a lack of funding and support. I don’t know what I would do if that were me, I am very lucky.

Does it not have its downsides though? Your contract must have a lot of stipulations, which may sometimes get on your nerves?

Well yeah, of course it does. One thing that is really annoying is my clothing deal. I am lucky ‘Adidas’ provided me with loads of top of the range training gear and running clothes and shoes, the lot to be honest. But part of the deal is I have to wear at least one clearly branded thing of there’s every day. That’s a pain as even when I'm having my relax days I still have to abide by that. At the end of the day though, they keep me in my job, its part of life. Quite a lot of the time I make sure I always am wearing my ‘Adidas’ watch, that way I am still tying to my contract.

Have you known people who have been dropped from their deal due to breaking their contract?

I don’t know anyone personally who has been dropped. I did know of this one girl when I was breaking into the professional ranks that had a massive fine. She was like me, just starting to make a name for herself, bagged a similar ‘Adidas’ deal as me but two months into her three year contract she was competing in warm up trails, basically just friendly competition to see who you may be up against in nationals. Well, she turned up to these, not only not wearing ‘Adidas’ but also actually wearing a completely different brand. Naturally you can’t do that, especially at high-level events, apparently the company called her in a few days later and sued her for thousands. I felt so bad for her, they didn’t drop her but she couldn’t afford to live her dream of athletics and pay them back for breaking her contract. So she stopped it all, went to work as a receptionist or something and is still paying them now. Moral of the story, don’t break your contract…

Oh my god that is horrible! So what she doesn’t run anymore?

She runs in a local club but she doesn’t want to train up to a national standard again, I think it has put her off competitive sports completely. It’s a shame as she could have really been something.

Does that not scare you that the same could happen to you?

That’s why I am always so careful with it. These companies will have people watching you all the time. They are paying for you; they don’t want to see you are ruining their good nature by going out on the piss every night, or promoting their oppositional brands. You will be sending out the completely wrong message to what they want. It is scary, this sport is a cutthroat world, and you have to play on the right side if you want to survive.

So what exactly are your contract terms? What stuff does you gave to do for ‘Adidas’?

Well mainly just wear their clothing and branding, when training, when competing, when out and about in general. It just shows if people see you they associate your success with that brand. I cant go out drinking, I miss the day of being drunk at 3am, but to be honest, I am serious about my sport so the no drinking has made massive improvements on my fitness anyway. If people ask me what running shoes I would recommend or fitness bras I use etc I have to always say ‘Adidas’. I hate that rule though as I have some really nice fitness gear from other companies, which I actually prefer but I cant ever, say…

Is the pay good from these deals? I bet some really top athletes get a massive sum of cash every month from their sponsorship deals.

Oah definitely, I am happy with what I get, I never have to buy any sports kit at all as they send me new clothes every week to try and promote and use. So that has saved me thousands, you wont believe how many running shoes I have in my room; some have barely even been used! I get a basic pay for the contract I am on and then additional money if I am used in their adverts and campaigns. What I get though is nothing to others. My mates deal is incredible, she gets holidays, meals out, hair and make up done weekly, not just running clothes but designer labels too for if she is out at an award show or something posh like that. But it becomes a dream and a goal, I want to improve my self as an athlete, so I can work up towards a massive high profile sponsorship deal.

What message would you have to those just starting out in the professional circuit with sponsors hounding them?

Its easy, ask your parents, they are the only ones who really know you and know what you can cope with, some deals are so pressurised it can destroy you. Get them too look at the small print, every page of the contract and no matter how tempting it may sound, just wait and never rush into anything.

Ann, thank you for taking some time out of your schedule to talk to me. We all wish you every success in your training and good luck for London 2012 and future events.

Socialympics: the power behind the name

An event called Socialympics happening in London this morning has already caused a wave of new responses regarding the importance of social media within Olympic Games. The main speakers in today's panel consist of a former Olympic athlete Chris Tomlinson, Gordon Lott the head of sponsorship at the official London 2012 partner LLoyds TSB, Chief sports reporter of the Daily Telegraph Paul Kelso, Hugh Chambers the Chief Commercial Officer of the British Olympic Associated and finally Alex Miller CEO of Engine’s social agency Jam. 

We are interested in firstly, the influences of each of the panellists in terms of their relationship with the IOC and LOCOG and 2) what authority do they have to speak about the use of social media in this particular way?

It seems apparent that they all have a certain invested relationships in the contribution and overall success of the outlook of the 2012 games. All involved are making themselves experts on the Olympics, which they clearly are from the nature of their job titles, but what does this say about the audiences and the alternative messages of the games. For example, Carsten Thode (@SynergyCarsten) the director of consulting at Synergy, who are highly influential in the Olympic Games marketing, suggested that in the Athens Olympics in 2004, there was no use of social media during this time – despite web 2.0 being on the rise during this time.

From tracking the tag ‘socialympics’ on Twitter using @mhawksey‘s archive spreadsheet and it’s becoming more apparent that their invested interest is the only reason they’re pushing the Socialympics and generating hype on Twitter. Each individual represents a brand or a PR company who will positively benefit from the games so should we really listen to these representatives or are simply telling us what they want to tell us.

What do you think? Have you been involved in the hash tag frenzy? Tweet us @olympicsponsor or leave us a comment and we’ll get back to you.

Dispatches

image via Dispatches website

Tonight on dispatches on channel 4 there is a great documentary revealing the undercover story of London2012 Olympics. There have been many issues surrounding the ticket process of the summer Olympics in the UK. 9.3 billion pounds has been put towards the Olympics by taxpayers within britain and this was meant to be a games for the people. However, many top businesses and companies have managed to secure premium seating and tickets within this supposedly "fair" ballot. Many are now questioning the legitimacy of the london Olympic games. Sponsorship is part of this legitimacy issue, multi national corporations have secured million pound sponsorship and exclusivity deals. When in actual fact many of those companies have little to do with the Olympic message conveyed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). I plan to delve further into scandals surrounding deals made within the summer Olympics and aim to contact many companies about what message their sponsorship is conveying to the general public.